As someone who has been involved in the fitness industry for over 10 years this is probably the statement which has resonated most frequently with me during the past decade. Let's face it, 99% of people are training and dieting to achieve one thing - TO CHANGE THEIR BODYSHAPE. We mask our true goal with terms like firming, trimming, toning, shaping etc. The truth is most people want to lose some weight and fit in to their jeans that looked awesome 5 years ago.
So why are we failing? Today the majority of our nation is clinically overweight. That means more people are in an unhealthy weight range than people in a healthy weight range. I would hate to know how many people are actually unhappy with their body shape! I wouldn't be surprised if it was above 90% of us. The 3 keys to achieving your desired change in body shape are:
1. Your mind - motivation and readiness.
2. Exercise.
3. Nutrition.
All three are important and results cannot be achieved without forward movement in each area. I could ramble on about all three for many pages but I would like to show you the importance of a tailored nutrition program structured for you to achieve your goals.
So how important is nutrition in getting results? Vision Personal Training along with many other nutrition specialists suggest, nutrition is responsible for 70% of the result in achieving body shape change. The funny thing is how little people actually apply this knowledge.
So, here is the scenario:
- You have a spare 90 minutes on a Sunday afternoon. It is sunny and fresh outside, perfect for a walk. A walk which would definitely help you towards your 10kg weight loss goal by summer to look great in your red bikini that you wore 2 years ago. Alternatively, you could fill in your food diary for the day, write a food plan for the oncoming week, pop up to the shops and purchase what you need and prepare your food for Monday. Both take the same amount of time. Which of the two do you think will be more beneficial in helping you to reach your goal? Which of the 2 do you think most people choose?
Don't get me wrong; I would never be unhappy for one of my clients to do an extra walk on a Sunday but it's interesting how little energy people generally put into changing their dietary habits. I am not talking about "eating healthy" I talking about actually following and being totally accountable to a dietary plan tailored specifically for them and their goal. Part of the problem is the lack of education and amount of misinformation about food in society today. Most people trying to lose some weight would have no idea of how much carbohydrate, protein and fat they are consuming each day and it's fair to say that most wouldn't know how much of each to eat anyway.
So, what is the solution? I think that applying 70% of your fitness schedule energy into educating, planning and recording your nutrition is a really positive start. In our studio, for any client wishing to change their body shape, we recommend replacing one of their weekly personal training sessions with a nutrition session until their nutrition habits are aligned with their goals. During the nutrition session we review their weekly food journal, educate them on an area they may be struggling with and help develop a new food plan to overcome the barriers showing up in their food diary. Never once has a client not achieved their 9 week goal when they have filled out their food diary for the 9 weeks - it's amazing!
Along with the nutrition sessions we also do complementary shopping tours and seminars for our clients and their friends. Our clients are welcome to come as many times as they like and are encouraged to do so. Whether you do it on your own, with Vision Personal Training, or another company, apply the theory that at least 70% of your results are determined from your diet and the appropriate amount of energy must be invested into changing your food habits to move towards your goals.
I won't pretend that it's not time consuming to make a salad to take for lunch tomorrow or to give up your Wednesday night watching TV to tour the supermarket to be educated on food and food choices. The fact is I keep hearing that statement "I eat well, I should be getting results". Most people are not putting 70% of their energy into eating to a structured eating plan. They're not getting the results and they are not able to wear that red bikini by summer.
As someone who gains weight faster than most of us, I know what it's like. If we could just be more open and prepared for a little more effort with our nutrition, we may just be able to swing the majority back in favour of having healthier rather than unhealthy Australians living in today's society.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
